We Are Teens Still
by AndyPox
Summary: Takes place a year after the movie. John Bender is now free from his family, and he stands for himself. Claire was left with a destroyed world to rebuild. When a lonely night brings them together again, what will happen? CH 6 IS UP!
1. Trembling Girl

**Trembling Girl**

It was just the expression on the man´s face that let him know he wasn't stopping soon--but John Bender was a tough guy. He couldn't allow the God damn barstard to see how much pain he was feeling, to see the ache marked on his eyes. That was what he dreamt he could be able of doing. Instead, John Bender was a little scared puppy, kneeling and crawling with each kick his father gave to his ribs. The 13 years old boy with the spiky hair could see, from the corner of his eye, his unconcious mother laying against the couch, with the orange container on her left hand and the pills pouring out of it.

"Why did you let her do that, you selfish motherfucker?!" the oger asked, kicking his slim body again.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" were the only words he could manage to take out of his mouth, that slowly started to fill up with the familiar red liquid.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" the same boy screamed, but now with a diferent voice, a grown voice. John Bender sobbed hard, pannick on his face, almost contorting, as one big scream of pain woke him up.

The lids flew open and the pupils shrank, as he took in his surroundings. He saw a dark figure and after a second recognized it as Vlad, his best friend. The teen was simply sitting on the floor, and had a hand extended toward John with a cup on it.

"Thanks" John said, taking it and taking a sip of the hot coffee. It burned his tongue, but he hold it on his mouth calmly...that was just what he needed to forget the aweful memories that filled his mind. With the back of his hand he wiped out the little tears that had managed to scape and roll down his face, before they could get further.

He couldn't be more thankful to Vlad. After all, he had let him crash at his house that Sunday. With a sigh Bender stood up from the couch he was in and helped the green eyed boy up. While drinking the strong beverage, he and the other guy went and sit on the kitchen counter, without saying a word. It was a comfortable silence. Like that they stayed for a long while, Vlad simply keeping his friend accompanied, knowing there was nothing he could do to relieve his grief... he never could. It didn't matter what happened, Bender had always that sad look upon his face, properly covering it with his smug grin for those who didn't know him.

"What day is it today?" Bender suddenly asked, startling Vlad a bit.

"It's march 25th. Why?"

It was Monday, march 25th, 1985, Bender concluded. Exactly a year after that bizarre detention day. Absently John's hand flew to his left ear lobe, empty. Memories hit him.

He was at one of the high school hallways, looking for the red haired girl he dreamt of for the whole weekend after that Saturday detention. She was no where to be found. Suddely, a girly voice hit trough his ears, and he turn arround to find the source of it. There, surrounded by her bitchy friends, was Claire, Claire Standish, his Claire. But, was she really his?

Washing that thought away he started walking toward her, but the conversation stopped him.

"Oh my God, Claire!" one of her girlfriends was saying "I can't believe you made it out of that losers can! Because I guess it was an absolute torture, wasn't it?"

Bender saw her doubt and a glimpse of hope ran trough his body, but then, with a swich on her expression, his smile crashed. "Yeah, I miracously scaped it". Now he was angry.

Claire felt ashamed of her self. After everything that had happened on Saturday, she was betraying the people that had become her real friends. _You disgust me_ she tought. Five seconds after those aweful words came from her mouth, a "Hey, Cherry!" coming from his back startled her. It was him.

She turned arround to face John Bender's cocky smile, that hid really well his indignation.

"You drop this, princess" he said, putting something small on her hand and turning around. She somehow knew what was it, but she still felt the emptiness on her stomach as she turned down her head slowly and watched the little diamond stud. The familiar ache of tears filled her eyes but she fought them back. Bender now walked trough the end of the hallway with a red haired guy and a skinny, short girl.

Claire eventually turn him back the earring, placing it inside of his unlocked locker next to a wrinkled paper that said simply _It´s yours any way_. He didn't wore it though, but kept it and looked at it every now and then.

"Bender! Bender!"

"Huh?"

"What's up man? You were out for a while."

"Oh, it was nothing. I was just thinking."

"Thinking? Well done! That's a healthy exercise!" Vlad joked, earning a playful smack on the head from Bender's huge hand.

They laughed and shared more jokes, and when Vlad was in someway sure that John was calmed, he decided to take a shower. "I'll be right back man." he said.

"Whoa, think about me, sexy!" Bender said playfully, imitating a girl's voice. Vlad laughed and went out of the kitchen.

Then, John was alone, alone to wonder. He thought carefully about every happening of the last year. The stares Claire gave him, well, the non-stares she gave him, his grades decressing even lower, and the two months he had to spend in detention, taking in Vernon's insults. He wouldn't admit it, not even to Vlad, but those insults hurt him badly. It wasn't nice to have his parents and teachers say what a waste of space he was every day of the week, and it was even less nice to have to listen to that on weekend, too, a time he would spend in those days hanging arround with his friends and getting high.

He didn't get high any more. He didn't have to stand Vernon's stupidity, and he didn't have to stand to look at Claire and see she wouldn't look back; because five months ago, after having the biggest fight with his father he could ever had had, he ran away from home, from high school, from Shermer. He was living in Boston now, had emancipated and was studying at night, while in the morning he worked in a construction company to pay the bills. He was doing really good, but about three days ago he got nostalgic for some reason and decided to make a visit to his town. God, things could change so much in a year.

The door bell interrupted his thoughts and Vlad was still showering, so he decided to go look who it was. He checked the clock. 3 a.m. _Who the hell calls to the door bell at this our?... in Shermer?_

Warily he opened the door and looked down, to find a girl with a nervous look on her eyes. She was trembling and looking every where, except for the shirtless guy in front of her.

"Please, please could you help me?" she said, trying to cover the sobs that tried to scape from her mouth. She was obviously crying.

His mouth was opened with wide shock, and so were his eyes. Seeing he didn't respond, the small, red haired girl looked up, straight into his brown, almost hazel irises.

He then asked, observing her own surprise, the question that was trapped in his mouth from the moment he saw her. "Cla-Claire?"

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Okay, so this is the first chapter of my first story, so don't be too hard on me please =) Well i'm latin, so I blame that fact for any grammar mistake. If you see any please tell me. I love constructive criticism and support, so give me some love ppl!! XOXO thanxs! I'll upload as soon as i see a review ;)


	2. The Cherries of The World

Hi! well, this is the second chapter of my story and I wanna warn you that I did an adjustment on the first one, because I wrote that it was Sunday 25th, when in reallity it was Monday 25th. Sorry for that.

Thanks alot to **MoJo** for telling me the typing mistakes and everything! Why is Claire at the door..? you'll find out soon! Muahahaha!! And I'm glad you're liking the story so far haha :D. I hope to see you arround soon.

Big thanks also to **RandomPersonOfDoom** for the obvious interest haha! It put a smile on my face! :D And don't worry, the story is flowing well and I'll upload every time a chapter is made.

**Astrakane** thank you for reviewing!! it really, really makes me happy when people do that and when they like my work! thanks again for it and here's the next chapter for you :)

Also ppl, you can give me some ideas about how do you think the story should go, just to prevent writers block ;).

XOXO,

Andy

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**The Cherries Of The World**

Yes, it was her. She had her hair a bit longer, and her makeup was flowing down trough her face, but it was sure Claire. She looked at him in disbelief, her tears now brimming from her brown eyes. She was crying, and apparently drunk._ Why?_ Bender thought. It didn't matter, because in a second she had her arms around his uncovered waist, sobbing loudly against his chest.

"Help me, please help me..." she mumbled, holding him tighter with every word. What could he do?

John opened the door a bit more and let her in. It wasn´t his house, but it was 3 am in the morning and Vlad for sure wouldn't mind to let in a poor, indefence girl, and much less one that was crying for help this hardly. He closed the door with the girl still sticked to him and backed until his knees crashed with tthe couch. She crawled in his lap then, still sobbing.

"It's okay princess... it's okay" he said against her ear, as she hid her face on his shoulder and passed both of her arms around his neck tightly. She was still trembling, so, warily, he started to rub her back up and down gently. It worked. Her body calmed down eventually and her grip started to loose up, as Morpheus drove her slowly to Dream Land. He then took a moment to look at her asleep figure. Damn, she was still so beautiful. She wore an spaghetti striped black dress, a really, really tight one, that showed every curve of her slim figure. Growth had proportioned her a more defined shape he could see, while his eyes traveled down her body. But, wait, what was that? Looking with more detail, the dress fabric was a bit ripped at the end, by the side of her leg, and had small threads pointing in every direction, obviously out of place. She was also bare footed. Afraid of waking her up, he didn't dare to move so he could check for any further misplaced facts, so he just stayed there, ignoring it and trying in someway to comfort whatever pain she was in.

After a while he carried on with the back rubbing and she snuggled more against him. John liked that. Until now he hadn't noticed how much he mised that little girl, how his whole body and mind reacted to her unique smell, wich still remained the same even though the stink of spensive alcohol surrounded her. He then hugged her a bit more, and started to rub her left arm, but at the touch she flinched on her sleep. He took a closer look to the skin, and saw the purple stain slowly starting to appear there.

A sound coming from the bathroom interrupted the peaceful silence, and Vlad opened the door.

"Hey man! Where the fuck are you?" He shouted. Claire moved a bit on her sleep and Bender husshed her before whispering to his friend "I'm here! Shut up!"

"Why are you whis..." Vlad closed his mouth middle phrase when he came out to the living room and saw the scene. "Isn't that... Cherry?" he asked, now whispering too.

"Yes, and you should shut the fuck up before you wake her!" Bender whispered back.

"Sorry mother, I didn't know we had company".

"Look Vladimir Alexei..." John said, in a mother's reproval tone "or you shut up or there will be consequences!"

"No please mom! Not the Spanker!" Vlad said.

They laughed softly at their own joke, but suddely stopped when a little giggle sounded. Claire was laughing, apparently awake. She mumbled "The spanker..." and then fell asleep again. With the silence that her motion brought, came the unevitable question.

Vlad did it by lifting his shoulders and Bender mouthed an "I'll tell you later". Then, he carefully stood up and took Claire on his arms, taking her to the main room and laying her on the bed.

He owed an explination to Vlad for using his room and everything, and for the Prom Queen cuddled previously on his arms.

"What's going on Bender?" asked Vlad when he came out.

"I... I don't know. She just rang the door bell a few minutes ago. Man she was crying and I think she was drunk... and she was obviously lost. I couldn't let her outside, ya know?"

"Drunk? The queen drank something beyond soda? That's unbelievable..." he trailed off with thoughts and then continued "Did she say why she was crying?"

"Nope, but it was sure a pretty fucked up shit. She was bare footed and her dress was a bit ripped..."

"Uhm... I think I heard about a big party the ritchies were having tonight. Maybe Cherry was there".

"Tonight? Doesn't she have to go to school later? I mean, I don't think she is the kind of girl that sleeps only a few hours and it's fine with it".

"No Johnny, she's not us" Vlad joked, but this time the brown haired boy didn't laugh.

"I'm serious Vlad. Besides, what the hell was she doing in this part of town? It's far from the ritchies zone".

"Oh please, I don't know why you worry that much! You don't remember the bitterness she hold you to during the last 4 months of school?"

"I don't care man. Bitch or no bitch she needs help, and I'm giving it to her. Please let me do it. Besides, I'm... worried. Well, any way is not like I'm going to be her rescuer or something. I've never belonged with the Cherries of the world and I'm aware of it ".

"Whatever. You know what you're doing."

Vladimir was usually a good person, one who wouldn't doubt for a second in giving a hand to someone that needed it, but that one was a diferent matter to him. He simply hated the way 'Cherry', as they referred to Claire, used to treat Bender. He saw him crushed lots of times last year, mumbling while druged or drunk about how much he missed her, and speaking of how much pained him that he "didn't belong with the Cherries of the world". But he couldn't keep going on that subject. He knew there were things Bender didn't stand to talk about for long periods of time.

"Hey... ya know? Charlie's coming tomorrow after school. She said she wanted to see you." Vlad said after a long while of uncomfortable silence.

"Yeah? Sweet! I miss that little bastard so much...".

Vlad laughed and answered "She said the same thing when I told her you were coming".

"Is the rest coming? I think we should go out or something. You still go to that metal parties we used to?"

"Not the sames, too much dope. See, we followed your recovering path... specially when we found out that screwing people when sober was waaaaay funnier".

Then they laughed and at the end decided to call their friends later and tell them about going out on the weekend.

"Uhm John, were the fuck am I going to sleep?"

"How would I know?"

"Well, I could allways go to my bed and hug that yummy thing that sleeps there" Vlad pulled his eyebrows up over and over again to Bender, as his expression turned somber.

"I'd drag you back here" Okay, he didn't know why he would, but he couldn't keep his reaction hidden. That way Vlad asked him to chill and he did so, offering the couch instead of the occupied bed.

"And were will _you_ sleep?" asked Vlad after that.

"Not of your bussiness honey!" he said, using his pervert voice.

"Great pervert, thanks".

Bender chuckled "Dontcha' get mad at me Vlady!!"

"No, no, I'm pissed" he said with false anger.

"Awwww... do you wan't a kiss to make you fill better?"

"Uh... no! It's okay man! I forgive you!" Vlad said, hurrying his steps toward the couch and launching there.

John just laughed and really then, when his red haired friend was closing his eyes, he thought about where was he going to sleep. The floor was hard, but it wasn't so bad, just like his old days back at his parents place. His parents... oh no. A handful of disgusting memories filled his head again and was then when he noticed that Claire was the only thing that could remove the always present memories out of his mind, even if it was just for a moment. Christ... this was a hard decision.

At the end he decided a bit of both, and went to his friend's room where Claire was sleeping. He layed down on the floor next to her and reached a hand up to take hers that was falling out of bed. It felt so tiny on his huge hand, his rough skin... so warm, that even like that, shirtless and laying against the cold floor, his body felt cozy.

Cozy... that was a word and a feeling he wouldn't dare to reckon a year ago, but he was now 17 and the journey he had made showed a more mature side of John Bender.

He wasn't afraid of those sensations any more, and he was going to take advantage of every one of them while they lasted.

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Revieeewwssss ppl!!! reviewwwwsss!!! they help me to keep going!


	3. Reckon

U can't complain!! they get longer every time!! HUM!

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**Reckon**

Claire Standish found herself next morning in a small bed, several times smaller than her own. She looked arround for anything she would reckon but her reserch failed miserably. Where the hell was she? The walls in the room where all black and had flourescent graffitti on them, wich claimed the room as the property of some Vlad dude. Her head was killing her, and the only thing she remembered about the previous night was being at a crazy party with Jason Murney, and then walking down an unknown street all alone.

She probably walked a long way, because her feet hurt badly. The million toughts about how she had arrived there made her head complain with pain, and of course, this thoughts where filled with the most hideous posibilities. Even more scared if possible, she stood up from the high bed and headed to the opened door. Outside was a little living room with four doors including the one she was stading in, and one of them, apparently the entry, had a staircaise next to it. It was a beige, nice space, nothing to do with the black painted room she was in.

Claire was ready to get out of the apparently empty house and headed to the front gate, when she heard loud tuds coming from behind one of the doors. About to freak out, she went right back to the room she was previously in and looked for the closest thing that resembled a weapon, finally grabbing the best option she had: a pillow.

With it she crouched in front of the door, ready to apply her self defense weekend sesion knoledge. Slowly the door knob started turning, and her eyes got bigger with anticipation. A broad, tall figure came out of it, and in a second he had the tiny red haired girl over him hitting him with the pillow.

"You sick monster! Where are we?!" she said, as loud as her headache allowed.

"Claire! It's me! John!" his stooped body responded, barely noticing the hits the pillow proportioned. At the sound of the name she stoped dry, lifting her eyes as he lift from his curved position. _God! Was he this tall before?_ She wondered, observing carefully the wary man standing in front of her, because he was a man now. The passed year had give him a much broader figure, and a higher length apparently. He still had his hair in this longer-than-it-should-be way, in this way she loved. _No, I don't love it_ she tought, while remembering everything that had happened and how she felt he left her last year. Man she was silly... That's why she didn't hugged him or something, like she wanted to.

"Like watcha' see... Cherry?" he asked with the haughty tone Claire remembered, and she blushed in the way she remembered she did, every time he catched her doing something she shouldn't. Checking him out was a good example of it.

"Hi... Bender" she said embarrassed, breaking eye contact. He felt dissapointed. After last night, he had had the hope that she would hug him happily and cheer for seeing him again, but he now wondered how could he bring himself to think that 'shit'. As he always said, the world was an imperfect place.

"Mind tell what am I doing in here?" Claire asked, bitterness in her tone.

"You don't remember?"

"I... should I?" she said, with her head proudly high.

Bender, that had been nice until this moment, couldn't help but put his old, dusted bad boy cover on.

"I don't know, Claaaire..." he said, using the same tone he had when he had said a year ago that Claire was a fat's name "It wasn't me who nocked at the door at 3 in the morning, was I?!"

He walked and entered the kitchen, leaving the astunished girl with the jaw on the floor. "Coffee" he said when he went back, giving her a cup while walking pass her and then turning the small TV on and launching in the couch with his feet on.

Claire was still taking everything he had said in. Blurry images of a small, white house with the lights on came to her, and sudden angst filled her for some reason. It brought bad feelings, so she pushed away the memories the best she could and started drinking the coffee she had on her hands. Then, she went to stand in front of a lazy Bender.

"Can I use your bathroom?" she asked, maybe now a bit ashamed, because whatever the reason was for her knocking, he had obviously let her in.

Bender lifted a jaded hand and pointed to the door where he had been previously in. She left the coffee in a small table and headed to the bathroom. At first Claire didn't look at the mirror, too distracted about the rest of the things that were there. There where bath stuff for two, ones for John and the others for the Vlad guy, she assumed. Everything was fine, but when she put some whater on her face to wash it she flinched with pain. Quickly she looked at the mirror, and saw the huge bruise formed on her right cheek, right beneath the eye. She gasped at the image of the upcoming hand that came and smacked her, a hand with no face. She opened the bathroom door with bewildered eyes to find John on one side of the door, with some sort of ointment on his hands.

He handled the tube to her and then started to walk back to the sofa. Seeing every one of her chances slip from her hands, she couldn't hold her words back.

"John..." she called. He froze at the name. He handn't hear that name from her mouth in what seemed like years. When she saw he wasn't going to respond but that at least had managed to make him pay attention, she went on "do you... do you know what happened to me?".

He thought about it for a second. "No" was his dry and final answer. He was so angry at her for being able of handle him that way. After it he just kept going and sat on the sofa, but not with his feet on this time.

She felt terrible. How could this be happening? As the last night's facts started to slowly reconstruct on her head, she went and sat next to him. So he sat then on the floor, right in front of where he had been previously. She, following his 'game', sat on the floor beside him.

"Cut it off!" he said annoyed, sitting again on the couch. Resigned, she stayed where she was. He was barefooted, so she started to tap his foot lightly, passing a finger across it. John flinched at the touch, and moved it away.

When she was about to reach it again, he exploded "What the fuck do you want Claire?!" he said, staring down at her.

She then felt the urge to stand, because sitting on the floor like that wasn't a very proud possition to talk to someone, but she fought that urge back. Maybe if he didn't perceive that need from her he would calm down a bit. "Look... I know I was a total bitch... that I still am..."

"So what?! It's who you are! It's the people you're surrounded with! And I don't give a shit about it Claire, because now I see that I was an imbecile by thinking that you would change in some way. So, why the fuck don't you go to school where you should be and go cry with the bitches you call friends huh?! And don't worry, I won't damage your reputation by saying you slept in the same house than a criminal!" John stood up with a swift move and avoided her whatery eyes by going to the kitchen. She, of course, followed him.

He was sitting in one of the kitchen counters and she stood by him, looking for his gaze and failing.

"I don't think you're a criminal..." she started, finding that she couldn't help her voice from being that smooth "and I wanna thank you... because though I don't remember much about it... I know that when I knocked this door you let me in..." He hadn't said a thing, but his expression was getting softer. His hand was on the counter and she took a shot in the dark by reaching it. He stiffened but didn't move it. _Good, _Claire thought. "Please... forgive me John... God... I missed you so much...".

He suddenly turned and with a fast move catch her jaw with one hand, an angry expression on his face "Why do you do this to me?!" he screamed at her face.

She felt a deep rejection pain and her eyes started to fill with tears, while she stared fixatedly at his own eyes, barely inches from her's. He shook her a little and got off from the counter, stooped because of the high diference. "Why Claire?!"

He wanted an answer, so the disconcerted Claire responded what she knew "I don't know". In her voice was the fear she was feeling, not from him, but from his rejection.

"Oh God" he murmured with an extrange defeated expression. She didn't expect the move he made next. He closed the space between them and suddenly his lips were on her's, with a hunger she hadn't feel before. At first her eyes were wildly open, but as the kiss got more appeased, she let her self go and closed happily her eye lids, while he turned them arround and put her against the counter, colocating one hand on the top of it and the other on her waist. Then she put her arms arround his neck, getting even closer to his body, if possible. It was an elixir of salvation, the salvation from everything she was passing by at the moment. A kiss Claire knew could only be found on those lips, on that warm hand that rested now on her waist.

Ectastic, she opened her mouth slightly and ran her hands over his hair, giving out a little moan when he ran his tonge trought her bottom lip.

Maybe it was just a few minutes, hours or just seconds, but at the end he got apart to take his breath back. Then, as fast as it happened, it ran away and he separated from her.

"Sorry" he simply said, heading to the door.

"Wait!" Claire couldn't believe what just had happened. Being suddenly in heaven and then trown out in the same way wasn't normal nor common. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I wanted to" he said.

"And what if I want..." she started, but he cut her off.

"Don't get too ectastic Cherry, it's the last time i'll happen" he drily said. "You should go to your house and then head to school. It's 9 a.m. You have time" he finished, trowing him self on the couch for the third time.

Claire thought about it. School. It was Monday indeed, but if he could do what he wanted she was going to do the exact same thing. "I don't want to" she said, staring at him and obviously catching him off guard. He turned his head quickly toward her but then turned it back over.

"Fine" he said, shrugging it off as if he didn't care.

"Fine!" she said, grabbing the ointment from the floor and heading to the bathroom.

_Crap, this's gonna be a long day _Bender thought, his gaze on her while she entered the bathroom and closed the door, still with her taste on his lips.

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Peoplee really plz review moreeeee :C Reviews make me feel the urge of writing!! I swear! :D

And a thousands thanks to the people that did review and fav... u rule :D:D!!!

XOXO,

Andy


	4. Strip Her Soul

So, here's another chapter! This, I consider, is a very interesting one... you'll see why muahahaha... All I can say is that there will be another of the BC characters named in here, and things between John and Claire will get even more intense : D.

Thanks alot to all the people that reviewed, actually you got me out of a writters uhm... lazy stage I guess haha. When I started to write this one I was sort of bored but seeing the reviews and faves and suscriptions got me the right inspiration :D.

Thanks a lot also to **Lissa** because in this one I used a phrase she wrote in a review "John and his little verbal spars" haha thank you so muccchhh!! :D

Thanks to **darcey xx** for the review :P! and don't worry, I wont be stopping soon :D

**rylyxo4,** thank you for reviewing!! And don't worry, more mistery and sexy stuff will be comming soon, but I must warn you, I can be corny so if I cross the line send smoke signals or something haha :D

**Ana**! Thank you! I'm flattered to see that my story worths it haha :D Well, my native language is not English either (I'm from Venezuela and I've never been outside of here), so I know what you mean. Hope to see you arround soon! :D

XOXO,

Andy

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**Strip Her Soul**

John didn't know what was going to happen when Vlad arrived, along of course with Charlie, probably Ally and any other person who wanted to join them. Even worse, if Ally did came, what would she do about Claire still being there? He didn't know how they got along presently.

Ally, or Allison, was now one of Bender's closest friends. When he ran away from home, he even crashed at her place a couple of times, while he was still finding a car and enough money to go live somewhere else. When the money issue came along, Allison and Charlie were the ones who came with the idea of reuniting cash for him to go to Boston. When his grades went down, enough for him to be trown out of school—not that Vernon wasn't supportive of that idea—it was her, along with Brian that help him out. And he knew that she and Vlad where the ones who had organized almost every travel to Boston his friends had made so they could see him.

Back at Boston he would talk to her on the phone almost every day. She was still going out with Sporto, she had said when John had talked to her last week._ Lucky Sporto_... John thought. It annoyed him that things in that detention day couldn't have go as they should have. If nature were fair, everything would have end up in a sort of Allison/John and Andy/Claire way, or maybe in a regular detention day, where no one talked to now one, but, guess what, nature wasn't fair. Nature could spit him on the face if it wanted to, and so could fate. Why did he had to be waiting so eagerly for that red haired girl sitting right in that room to stand up and sit next to him, when to any other person he would just have said_ Get the hell out of this house_?

"Uhm... Jo...Bender?" Claire suddenly asked, interrumpting his thoughts. "Do you have any clothes I can put on?"

"Sorry princess, I left my transvesti outfit back home" he said, as sour as he could do.

Claire did something he wasn't expecting. He wanted her to yell at him, give him a bad look, anything; but she just stayed there quiet, lowering her sight as if she was sorry for even asking. John had to be tough, he had to stay there on the couch and eat the words that tried to get out of his mouth, eat them like a man, he had to watch the lame whatever-it's-going-on-on-TV and pretend he was interested, he... he stood up and opened his travel bag for her.

"You can pick any..." he said, and to cover it he added with a sarcastic voice "...but the underwear is forbidden".

Even with that one she said nothing and just nodded, almost like a servant to his master, before going and looking inside the bag.

Claire was a bit surprised that the bag wasn't full with dirty laudry, but the clothes were all trown there and pushed 'until-the-zipper-zips'. It was too much to ask.

She felt something awkward along with the butterflies on the pit of her stomach, and still didn't know how her feet handn't ask for her to go to the door and not see the guy ever again... well, she did know. It was her last chance to be with him probably, and the fact that he had let her stay was a good sign. The amazing butterflies on her stomach didn't stop with the minutes, something she had been expecting. It was a test for her to be there, a test of strength and pride, a test she was failing. She just couldn't remove that puppy stare from her own eyes and couldn't bring herself to answer his little verbal spars, not even with a mean glance. She was pathetic.

With a sigh she picked the first few things she saw there and headed to the bathroom. When she put one of them on, she found that luckily or unlockily it was the shirt he wore that Saturday detention, the flannel, short sleeved shirt. It looked so weird on her, but she really liked it. Looking for something to wear on the lower body, she found with a horror expression that in the pile of cloth she brought to the bathroom wasn't such thing. It was a dissaster for her pristine self, being in a house with a boy and wearing nothing else than a shirt and panties. But, at the end, it wasn't far from the dress she was wearing before. _That stupid dress... _Were her friends who conviced her to use that horrible black thing, to 'turn Jason on' they had said.

For some reason, John wasn't showing the same effects Claire could cleary remember from Jason, the guy who she went with to the party. John instead was quiet, didn't look at her, and she was starting to convince herself that the kiss he gave her previously wasn't more than something he did for pitty, pitty for her sad behavior. But... maybe... maybe if she went to the living room like that, he would see her differently, that was what her friends did any way when a guy didn't pay attention to them. She had always thought that doing that was something absolutely wrong, that it was just selling herself out, but she was so dessesperate...

So, breathing hardly and with her heart on her throat she oppened the bathroom door and stepped out.

John couldn't believe his eyes. She was there, with his favorite shirt, and her perfect, creamy-like leg's skin showing off. It was almost impossible, but like that, so simple in a way, she looked even more beautiful that with the dress she was previously wearing, the one that he so persistently had tried to ignore, because of all the thoughts it brought. He wanted to take that shirt off of her to show the unseen goddess beneath it, he wanted to explore every inch of the warm skin with his hands and tongue, he wanted to bite her strawberry lips softly and pass his hands trough her bare back. Before he knew it, he was walking right toward her, and he couldn't even remember how.

His eyes were black with lust as he aproached her, and her heart started to beat so fast that even her ears bumped loudly. Her voice was less than a whisper when she spoke. "What?" she said, a snicker playing on the corner of her lips, feeling herself blush at the stare. He was now in front of her, so very close.

Immediately the words started to burst from his mouth "You look..." but suddenly he stopped dry, noticing what he was about to say—and do. "You should put something underneath that" he finished. "Some people are coming and will be very surprised of you, looking like that". There. He tought she was a whore. Claire felt the little amount of words punch her with a huge amounth of strength. It was her last attempt, and she felt so frustraded about_ everything_. No one had ever denied anything to her before, not her parents nor any guy. So, why John Bender had to be different? Why couldn't he just surrender this time and hug her, and feel something for her, it didn't matter if it was just lust. She wanted that rough guy to see her, the only person that could ever see trough her before, the only person she dreamt about every night, God, the person she saw every time she closed her eyes!

Like that, angry as she was, she couldn't contain the big, angry words "Fuck you!!" she yelled "Fuck you John Bender! Fuck you!" after that, she let her knees give, and started to fell to the floor, but instead she fell on his chest, that now was so near to her because he had leaned closer to catch her. She didn't dare to look up and see his face.

"Leave me!" she screamed, trying to get free from his arms but not succeeding. "Am I that ugly to you John?!" she said, trying to make him let her go "You already used me and let me go?! Is that it?! I'm a worthless piece of shit now?! I don't even deserve to be admired, I don't even deserve you to look at me?!"

"I'm looking at you" he said, actually in a really soft manner, holding her tiny body close to him as if it were about to crack apart.

"Shut up! Shut the fuck up! Remember an ugly shit like me doesn't deserve to even hear you talking!" she yelled sarcastically, still unable to release her self from his hold.

"You're definitly not ugly, princess" he stated. He didn't know why the hell he was saying that. Maybe because it was the truth. Although, she didn't seem to think the same thing.

"I know that's not what you think!! So stop feeling pitty for me!" she finally screamed, looking finally into his hazel eyes with her own starting to get red from the tears. When he heard the pitty word, he released her, shocked. _He_ felt pitty for her? It was _her_ who had treated him like shit, it was him who had to live on his own because his parents hated him, and it _had_ to be her who felt the pitty, for him of course. It had to be her.

She backed up with her gaze on him, crashing with the wall on her back. She stuck to it as though it were her life, and with clenched fists she rolled slowly until she touched to ground.

"I'll leave" she said "and if you wanna feel even more sorry for me, with your succesful life and everything, well, my parents are divorcing, and right now I'm the biggest bitch you could ever know. You were right. That's why I don't have any real friends. I'll probably marry in a few years with a guy that doesn't love me, for convenience only, and then I'll have kids to kill their lifes with my fucked up marriage life, and then I'll probably end up drunk on the Caribbean, having an empty affair with a hot porn star. Goodbye". She stood up and started to walk toward the door with her head high—still barefooted and wearing the shirt only.

_She's out of her mind_ Bender thought, smilling despite of himself. "Uhm, you do see what you're wearing, right?" he mockingly said.

"Is there something wrong with it? I already made a fool of my self putting it on just to catch your attention. Maybe I'll feel better if someone outside at least notices me".

_Wait, what?!_ In less than a second he crossed the room and stood in front of the door, blocking her way.

"What did you just say?"

"Get out of the way" she said calmily, evoiding eye contact.

"What did you say, Claire?" he persisted.

"Get the fuck out of the way" now she talked louder.

"No. What did you say?"

"God dammit! I said what you heard! That I'm a big whore and that I know that's what you think! Now, move!" she exploded.

So they were telling the truth? The truth shall set us free, then.

"Actually Cherry, right now you were the sexiest, cuttess thing I've ever seen in my whole life" He said, pleased more than he thought he would when she slowly lifted her head to see his wide smile.

"What did you say?" she quietly asked.

"I said what you heard" he quoted her, trying to relax the enviroment a bit.

She, with her crazy humor changes and always surprising him, got even more pissed, and standing on her tip toes to emphasize the statement she yelled at him "You can take nothing seriously!" Then she started toward the entry again.

Bender couldn't help but grin, so widely it was almost painful, seeing the way she stripped her soul in front of him in that way. Now, he wanted to strip something else of her...

He ran and swiftly hauled her small body on his shoulder. Working at the construction fabric had done alot for his strenght. She started to hit his back with her slender little fists, though he barely could feel it.

"Put me down John Bender!" she ordered, but it was too late. He put her down but they were now on Vlad's room, and she was laying on the bed with him crawling over her, so very close.

"Sure?" he said barely in a whisper, looking at her straight in the eye, facing her amused expression and agape mouth. He leaned closer and softly brushed her lips with his...

* * *

I'm so, so sorry!!! I couldn't help my self haha! Really, I'll wait until I get about 6 reviews or more on this to put the next part. What do you think about Allison's relationship with Bender? What do you think about them spilling the truth out? What is Claire going to do when she understands what's about to happen between them?...

Ya' know, reviewwwws ppl!!!!!!!!!! :P


	5. Interrupted

Hey! sorry that it took longer for me to upload than usual, i've been pretty busy. Actually this weekend I went to the beach cuz' one of my friend's birthday, and guess what, there was no internet :S Whatever, the thing is that specially today I'm absolutely happy because my friend has this absolutely cute cousin, and hell, awesome stuff can happen at a beach house haha.

Sorry cuz' I won't be able of answering everyone of the coments separately, but thank you so much for all the loveee! It makes me happy, too! :D

By the way, I think I'll make this shorter than I had expected, but don't worry, it'll be good. And maybe right now the chapters will take longer in being uploaded, but they will be, I promise.

XOXO,

Andy

* * *

**Interrupted**

He smelled like leather, nicotine and chocolate. It was addictive. As he leaned closer and his breath brushed her face softly, she felt like fading. Her eyes closed by themselves and her fists unclenched, while his hands traveled up and down through her arms, carefully not to touch the bruise that the ointment had managed to calm. The kiss got deeper, and she did something she had never done before. With a gasp her mouth opened instinctively and she slid her tongue in his mouth, receiving immediate response from him. This was so different from anything that had happened to her before. Intimacy was something she ran from, always, but not this time.

Slowly he put her arms arround her head on the pillow with his own, and his mouth began to travel down in a smooth line of kisses, first through her jaw, reaching her earlobe and then the sensible skin of her neck. Before she knew it, she had her arms arround his neck and was holding his soft hair tightly. Her leg went to his waist on its own. She gasped hard and arched to him when she felt his warm hand touch lightly the skin of her leg, from the knee to the border of the shirt and down again. It fade the goose bumps that had formed in there.

With the other hand he pulled the collar of the shirt down a bit, while his mouth followed the path. Reaching her shoulder he bit it lightly, possessively, and ran his tongue back up again. Like a spell her hands touched his strong, wide back and went down. The small hands ducked under the black t-shirt, and she felt him hold his breath with the action. She smiled, feeling herself capable of making him do that. He relaxed and she started to lift his shirt, ever so slightly...

"Johnathan!!" a voice suddenly screamed from the outside. "Open the door!"

"Ya' know Ally, I have the keys." John recognized Vlad's voice, and the little tingling from the keys.

Then, with a tiny "Oh shit" and so quickly that Claire didn't even notice, he was off of her and heading toward the door. When she stepped out of the room following him, he was already sprayed across the couch, again pretending to watch TV. She stood there, frozen.

The door eventually flung open revealing the four kids.

There was a purple haired girl, tiny in every way except for the huge, olive eyes. She was wearing a fucsia, long sleeved sweater, leather mini skirt and black, plataform shoes. Her eyes were full with the 'black shit' Claire disliked.

There was also a tall guy with a green mohawk and bright, blue eyes. He was pierced everywhere, had a black t-shirt with a skelleton on it and a spiky, frightening necklace.

Dracula Boy, like her friends called him, was there too. _That's John's Vlad? _She thought. The most scaring of them all was him, a red haired boy that looked at her like if he was trying to set her on fire with a stare. He had dark, green eyes, was also pierced, and was tinnier than the other guy. But still he had this aura that made him look like some sort of demon midget.

Then, in the middle of them all, was the one person she had never expected to see there. It wasn't that she didn't know that she hanged with John's friends now, but the environment and the circumstances made a big difference. She looked at her in absolute shock, mirroring for sure Claire's expression.

"So... so! You'll stay all day there like a fat cow or you'll come say 'hello' to your friends?" The green mohawk boy asked, looking at Bender.

Immediately John stood up and with a huge smile went straight to his friends. In the meanwhile, Claire reacted, walked and sat on a chair next to the sofa. She looked at the whole scene in absolute silence.

Claire actually admired the way they interacted. She had never noticed before, but these kids were so caring with one another. The coldness always displayed on her own interactions with her 'friends' was nowhere to be seen. Instead it was replaced with affectionate hugs and jokes, and it lacked of fake kisses and up and down stares. If it wasn't for the creepy appearance they had at school, the scene would have been even cute.

After a while of course, the dreaded moment arrived, and Allison, who hadn't take her eyes off of Claire, turned toward her. The green mohawk boy was the first in interrupt the awkward silence.

"Well Johnny, won't you introduce us to your little friend here?" he asked, signaling toward Claire.

"Hey Duncan, watch it" John answered in mock menace.

"What's she still doing here?" Vlad asked, talking about her as though she wasn't in the room.

"Cool it man, she was leaving" That hurt her badly. "But she needs some clothes, as you see" he added, looking at Allison and Charlie this time.

Allison simply nodded, but the red haired girl had her complete attention. What the hell was Claire doing there? How could she dare? With these thoughts in mind she started to walk toward her, as though attracted like a magnet, and Claire instinctively stood up from the chair she was in.

Facing the black haired girl, a shy "Hi" came from her mouth.

"Hello" Allison said, and, even happy for having her response, Claire couldn't help, but grinned.

In the bright smile Ally saw something she hadn't in a long while, something that made her feel warmer about Claire being there. So, then, she lifted her hand and lightly brushed the bruise in the girl's cheek, not wanting to ask.

"It's nothing" she answered the unspoken question.

"So..." Ally said, looking her up and down "your style had changed a bit".

"Yeah well, you have to be prepared for everything."

Things got lighter, and they could almost listen the rest of the kids that were still there restarting their breathing.

"I'll be right back" Allison said, heading out of the house. "You'll come with me Charlie" she said, dragging the purple haired girl along.

When she left, the obvious flew through Claire, mainly because of the looks 'Duncan' was throwing at her. She was in a house, now with three boys in it, and wearing what she was wearing. She felt self conscious, awfully self conscious, and headed toward the kitchen.

Claire looked around the small kitchen, and a few pictures that were there caught her attention. There were lots of photos of John's clique, one with the whole bunch, the five friends she had seen previously, some other people she recognized from school and some other she didn't. Their hair and clothing belonged to someone pretty frightening, but their expressions told different stories. Lots of these types of pictures were there, and Claire picked up a special one. In this one you could see John, actually happy, with Allison hung on his back like a monkey, also smiling. She couldn't help, but felt a deep ache of envy. Allison was so strong. She didn't need to be accepted by anyone, she didn't have to stand any sort of appearience in front of anybody. She could be her self. She could hug the guy Claire wanted to hug so freely, and kiss his cheek like she was on that picture, like Claire wished she could do.

Though, she thought then, probably John and Allison had something. It was impossible to have this type of closeness with a guy without wanting anything. It was impossible in her world any way.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a husky voice talked behind her.

"There are different ways to do things" John simply said, as though reading her mind.

"You scared me" she said, evoiding his eyes.

"What can I say? I enjoy the surprise element". He said, crossing his arms and leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Sorry for embarrassing you in front of your friends".

"I think Duncan was pretty pleased with the show".

She felt her self blush and turned arround to place the picture on the shelf again. Then, wanting to leave the subject, she spoke.

"So... you're friends with Dra... uhm, the red haired boy from school?" she asked.

"Vlad? Yeah, he's my best friend". He simply answered, as if it were obvious. It was so weird to Claire to listen that type of word from John's mouth, such as 'best friend'... Now she could see why he stood up for them when she gave him her opinion about them a year ago.

"He's creepy...". It was really a thought that scaped her mouth, because she hadn't intend on saying that. He blurted into laughter, and Duncan chimed in.

"What's so funny Johnny boy?" the guy asked.

Oh no, he couldn't tell him, he couldn't! "Cherry here thinks Vlad is 'creepy'!" Uhm, he could.

Duncan blurted into laughter along with John, looking at her up and down. Claire couldn't help but hide a bit behind John, begging God none of them noticed it. Disgracefuly, Duncan did.

"What, you're scared of me, too?" he asked, mockingly. She felt really sad when John started to laugh again, as if she were some kind of joke. Then, for the topping, Vlad came in and asked the same 'what's so funny' stupidity. Duncan of course answered.

"The-kid-is a-fraid-of-us" he said with lots of difficulty for the laughter.

"She better be" Vlad answered, again like if she weren't there at all.

Claire was tired, disappointed, and the only thing she wanted to do was to run home and hide on his brother's old football shirt, hide from his parents and sit on her faithful balcony, hide from the pain all the mock was causing her. She swiftly walked out of the door and up to the stairs, really not knowing what was she going to find, but hopping it were better than the last environment.

John of course followed.

Upstairs was a clean attic with a bunch of music instruments in it and lots of boxes. She sat in the drum's chair, looking outside the window to the obviously cold weather outside, wondering how could she manage to travel through those streets wearing the dress she had previously on.

"Ya' know Cherry, it is very indecorous to leave someone talking alone like that" he sarcastically said when he chimed in, faking a British accent.

"Very funny Bender" she answered angrily. "I'm an awesome joke, right? I bet that you won't be capable of telling them what we were about to do before they arrived".

"And what was that, darling?" he said, actually for the simple pleasure of seeing her blush, as she did.

"Oh please, could you reach deep within and find your inner kindness? If you have any?"

"Oh, how refined. Ain't easier to say 'don't be such a fuck?'"

"Whatever John, you know what I'm talking about... I really don't know how could you do that when you obviously have a thing for Allison...". Uh, okay, she hadn't meant to say it like that, but she couldn't restrain herself.

"Allison?! Are you out of your fucking mind? Allison is my best friend! How could you think... oh, right, I get it..." he seriously said. Then, an evil grin formed in his mouth "...you're... jealous of her!!"

"Why would I be?" she asked, pretending the best she could to be confused.

He was then behind her, turning the wheelchair arround to face her.

"I don't know princess, why would you?" he said with a confident smile on his face, that smile she loved so very much.

"Could you please stop calling me that? I'm no princess..." her voice was jaded, and she was incapable of facing him.

_You are to me_... he thought, but didn't spoke the words though. "Right, princess" he said instead, causing her to stand up and rush downstairs. Louds _Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuuck!!! _sounded in John's mind while he saw her leaving.

When he got down, Allison had arrived and Claire was taking the clothes they had brought. Then, without looking at him, she headed toward the bathroom and closed the door.

"What happened to the girl's face?" Charlie asked to Bender, watching him shrug in response. "Well, you do know that's hand made don't you?"

"Yeah, I'm aware of it".

"Well, watch your steps dear, cuz' the artisan may not be very pleased with you hovering arround her. You know how that kind of stuff may get".

"I don't have to watch no steps because I'm not 'hovering' over no one's territory".

"Uhm-hum" they all answered at the same time. Stupid friends. Why did they had to know him so well?

In the meanwhile, Claire was in the bathroom staring to the little fading bite on her shoulder. It made her shuder. Now, looking at the past events, she was scared, but just now. Because when John had been on top of her and kissing her like he did, she simply felt in the savest place of the entire universe. But well, it was pretty obvious that she meant nothing to him.

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Yeah, the Duncan character came from Total Drama Island, I just had to put him here. Well ppl. you know what to do. Big reviews make good chapters. Its up to you.


	6. The Secret Life of Lonely Millionaires

**Pleaaaseeee don't hate me! I know I'm a total bitch for not uploading this for so long, but you can totally blame it on Gossip Girl, Total Drama Island and a major author's block :S Well, I also know you don't deserve such a short chapter, but I needed to get rid of this in order to move on. **

**I have to thank all the ppl that are still reading this, even though I have about 5 months without uploading. Again, I am sooo sooo sorry, and I hope you stick to this nontheless.**

**Without further adittion, I'll shut up and let you read.**

**XOXO,**

**Andy**

* * *

**The Secret Life of Lonely Millionaires**

How was she going to get out of there? She questioned herself. She didn't recognize the neighborhood at all. Standing outside that house, feeling herself uncharacteristic, wearing a pair of black Converse, with black tights and a white, baggy shirt... what could be _less_ Claire? Well, while no one could see her like that, it was okay. When she began to walk, she heard the little squeak of the door and felt the air current when it turned open.

"C'mon, Cherry" John Bender said, with a smug grin and a pair of keys in his hand.

"I won't go anywhere with you" she stated back, crossing her arms stubbornly.

He ignored her and kept walking, opening a Mustang '75 door for her. The car had a dusty green color, and John motioned toward it glaring at her impatiently.

"Oh! What a gentleman you are!" she said with sarcasm.

"Look kid, I don't know (and don't care) if you like it or not, but you're going inside this vehicle right now. I won't let you wonder and get lost in this place..." she was about to protest and claim she knew exactly where she was, but he cut her short. "I know you have no idea as to where you are, so shut up and get in".

She had to admit he was right, but wasn't about to say it out loud. Finally and with a dramatic sigh, she decided to follow. _It's the last time you'll see him_ she kept thinking. They drove in silence for what seemed like forever, neither daring to turn on the radio, or to speak for that matter. Claire couldn't deny it. Quick butterflies filled her stomach, as the window reflection provided her with the beautiful image of his delined profile, brighter every time, against the reddish, sunset light.

When they were close to her house, Bender couldn't hold the flashback that appeared on its own accord in front of him at the sight of that tree, the biggest one, that shadowed easily the marble statues decorating the front garden.

_The glowing stars of the night iluminated the boy, sitting on of the branches of the large tree. His sight was fixiated over the big, white house, towards the balcony, waiting to catch something, even if it was just a glimpse, to catch sight of a certain upstand girl. His butt ached from beeing on that uncomfortable, stiff place for so long, but pain was a daily matter for him, so he had learned to ignore it. For how long had he waited now? Was it an hour? Two or three? And It wasn't even the first time._

_He knew the path to this house like the back of his hand, since that one day after school when he had followed (yes, _followed_) her on her way back, three or so months ago. It was a torturous, secret ritual, which he did every once in a while, when neither the dope, nor the booze could calm him and the music in the parties simply wasn't loud enough. Finally, he saw something, besides the steady, little marble angels distributed across the flawless grass. There, on the balcony, stood the slim figure of the redhead he was there to watch. He felt like a stalker, but yet then he stared, charmed with her tiny frame all covered in a man's football shirt, too big for her, but as adorable as she could get to his eyes, like a child that holds herself under the protective embrace of her bed-covers. _

_There, hidden by the shadows, he told her within silent whispers every word he knew he could never say out loud._

The memory of her wearing that shirt brought back the recent image of Claire Standish on _his_ shirt, but he quickly brushed it away.

_It doesn't matter _he thought. Finally they stopped in front of the mansion, and without thinking it much she laid a quick peck on the guy's cheek. It was an innocent, small goodbye, and even though her lips ached for more, she swallowed it all and hopped out of the car. However, when she began the walk towards the mansion´s gate, a husky voice stopped her in her tracks.

"It was great to see you... Claire" he finally said. She turned around, and with a nod and a smile answered:

"I'm gonna miss you John". With those last words, the engine roared to life and John Bender was gone, out of her life again.

Claire allowed one single tear to slide out of her eyes, slowly skating trough her cheek and moisturizing the base of her chin, but it was all. She cleaned the lonely water drop and avoided the rest from pouring out, and got inside that hell she called house.

Frankly, she wasn't expecting for her mother to be looking desperately for her missing daughter. She didn't even expect Mrs. Charlotte Standish to notice her daughter was missing. And, if she knew her mother, and she knew her well, the woman would be more preoccupied for the lost of the channel dress. Effectively, uppon arrival, Claire followed the chat noises that came from the visits living room, and spotted Mrs. Charlotte talking calmly with her society friends. The smell of good herbal tea filled her nostrils, the sunset-filled walls appearing before her. Standing at the door, the girl awaited to chatch her mother's eye, waving hello at her when she did. As expected, the woman shot her an horrified glare.

"Excuse me, ladies" her mom said, standing and walking toward the child, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her to the kitchen. "For Christ sake, Claire Victoria!" she said within whispers. "What are these?" she asked, directing a disgusted look toward her outfit. "Did someone see you wearing them?" the woman asked. "And what is that ugly stain in your face? Didn't I tell you that a young lady has to be careful? God! You're so clumsy! What's going on with you lately child?!"

Claire had been worried about the clothes, too; but hearing her mom saying it like that made anger course through her body from head to toe. In times like this she missed her father, the fights for her attention they used to share before the divorce agreements were finally started and her father moved out of the Standish household. What angared Claire the most was that Mrs. Charlotte's biggest concern wasn't about the bruise, about the pain her daughter probably felt receiving it. The only thing she cared about was the thoughts of every body else, the thoughts they could have about her 'clumsiness'. It pained her to no end, and it was enough.

"It's okay mother, it doesn't even hurt" she simply stated, before heading upstairs and toward her bedroom without a back glance. She entered her big, peach colored bathroom, and turned the water on, filling the tub while getting rid of her clothes. When the enormous tub was full, she stepped inside and allowed the warm water to calm down her skin, to relax her tense muscles. It helped a little, but it didn't work completely. So, then, she started to think about those hands, his hands, running along her tighs and arms. His lips hovering above her own and brushing against the curve of her neck. Claire knew that this was going to kill her, the knoledge of just having him a few hours ago, and being blank an cold now. But it didn't matter. Right now she needed it, she needed him, and so she allowed his memory to embrace her, though It would probably hurt later.

About three hours later, Claire Standish sat on her balcony, a glass of her father's old scotch in hand. She simply adored the slow way the amber liquid swayed in the transparency, and, lets say it, in some delusional masochistic way, she adored also the way it burned a fire line through her chest, or inside of it. Slowly, and as she did in very rare ocations (such as this one) she fell into an alcohol induced sleep, dreamless, as every time she drank the magic elixir.

Two days later, the morning found Claire on that same bed, as though days had never passed by. The annoying 'beep, beep' of the clock woke her up yet again, and she remembered with a sigh that yes, days _had_ passed by, but the rutine was so sticked to her that she still waited in some uncoscious way to wake up in the confines of a darker, smaller room, full with graffitis.. It was silly. She didn't belong there. She belonged at school, where she had been the last few days, and with her friends... it didn't matter how annoying those girls could get.

Sighing deeply she slipped out of bed, and got ready as always, hiding her deception and her fading bruises behind the makeup and the spensive fabrics.

The day at school was as dull as the last two, she couldn't even remeber any of the themes in her classes, nor she wished to. Maybe the only thing she could remember where the few encouters she had had with Bender's friends, in the small halls where their uncommon wardrobe couldn't be ignored. But she had brushed them off, saying hi only to Allison, with whom she had crossed paths early in the morning.

She struggled not to think about the crap-stick she was living in, but it was hard as hell, and in her History class, while her friends talked about an upcoming party at someone's house, her mind traveled towards all the changes that had ocurred during this year. Claire had been a good girl for so, so long, that the latest behavior she was having shocked all the people around her. After the departure of John, which she blamed on her, and the simultanous divorce of her parents, her life began a destruction spiral. After all, going to those crazy parties was a way to forget about her reality, and allow the booze to take her into oblivion. It's true, the alcohol they had in those parties was expensive alcohol, Scotch, Cristal Champagne, Dom, wine, etc., but it was booze non the less. Drugs also swirled around her, but she hadn't fall so deep as to take them. Most of her friends took them, though, and her prim and proper clique had dragged her into the secret life of lonely millionare teenagers. She felt ashamed of herself sometimes, but only sometimes. Because in the lunatic world her consolation came around easily, and the ilusion of it being right because her friends did it made it all fell better.

Maybe she was the only virgin among them all, and it probably was because she couldn't picture other man's hands on her. It simply wasn't right. The only hands she ached to have on her body were... well, John Bender's, cetainly. But it would never happen, and it was time for other ilusions to occupate the spot he had left empty. As soon as that though came into mind, though, the flash of a white fist came again, and she fought to get the toughts out.

Her mind was trying to make her see who that fist belonged to, and bit by bit she was starting to form a hipothesis. But it was early to blame. Specially when she couldn't remember practically anything of what had happened that night.

Finally, the bell rang and freed the cloud of students, and Claire was dragged to the outsides of Shermer High. The sun was hidden and the cold was powerful, and if she had held into her brown leather jacket a bit tighter, she would probably have broken it. That day she was staying with her dad, which was a relieve because between both of her parental figures he was the most acceptable one.

Mr. Standish was late, and Claire was worried. While she awaited outside with one of her friends, Courtney, the wind became stronger, Courtney's complaints becaming more frequent.

Suddenly, a very familiar-looking Mustang stopped in the street, and Claire's stomach began to flutter.


End file.
